Fire-escape.



G. L. MUELLER.

FIRE nsoun.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 14, 190B.

Patented Dec. 29, 1908.

witnesses GUSTAV L. MUELLER, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

FIRE-ESCAPE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 29, 1908.

Application filed March 14, 1908. Serial No. 421,257.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUsTAV L. MUELLER, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the city of Seattle, in the county of King and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists of a flexible ladder which can be secured and normally arranged in a compact form on top of a building or other desirable location, and released by novel means so that it will fall by gravity to an extended position. v

A further object is to provide a construction which is simple and comparatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects will be set forth as the description progresses and those features of construction and combinations of parts in which the invention resides, succintly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing, in which like numerals of reference indicate like parts throughout: Figure 1 is a view illustrating my invention as applied to a building, the ladder having been lowered, and Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in erspective, on enlarged scale, showing the adder arranged as in its normal position, and illustrating by dotted lines the flexible means 7 drawn taut.

In the drawing I have illustrated my invention as comprising a suitable frame consisting of a horizontally disposed bar 1 form ing a support, adapted to be rigidly held in position by downwardly and outwardly extending arms 2 and 3, above another support, as 4 preferably arranged on top of the building at the edge thereof.

Reference numeral 5 indicates a flexible ladder arranged in compact form, by being rolled on a roller 6 fixed to one end of the ladder, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1, between the supports 1 and 4;.

Ladder 5 is secured'at one end to support 1 and is illustrated as being supported by flexible means 7. It can however be suported in any other desired manner, as will e readily understood in view of the follow mg.

Flexible means 7 preferably consist of a pair of ropes secured at their upperends to support 1 at points well spacedapart, and being passed down under the ladder, then posed between supports 1 and 4, will be drawn taut to form inclined guides down which the free portion of the ladder will roll over the lower of said supports.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by LettersPatent of the United States of Amer 10a, is:

1. An apparatus of the character described comprising spaced supports one ofwhich has its upper portion arranged below the other, a flexible means secured to the upper portion of the higher support and extending over' the other whereby when drawn taut it will assume an inclined position between said su ports, said flexible means beingnormally libld so that that portion thereof between said su ports will be loose, and a flexible ladder restlng on said flexible means between said supports and having one end secured, for the purpose specified.

2. An apparatus of the character described, comprising spaced su ports one of which is arranged above the ot er, a flexible ladder secured to said last named support and having its free portion rolled and arranged between said supports, flexible means on which the rolled portion of said ladder is mounted, said flexible means consisting of spaced flexible members extending over the lower of said supports and having their upper ends secured to the upper of said su orts, and a single pull rope connected to t e ower end portions of'said flexible members for drawing the same taut, whereby the rolled portion of said ladder will roll thereon over the lower of said supports.

Signed at Seattle, Washington this 6th day .of March 1908.

GUSTAV L. MUELLER Witnessesz FRANK E. ADAMS, ARLITA ADAMS. 

